What does this calculate?
Whether a pit stop pays off over the remaining laps: the time lost in the pit lane against the lap time gained on fresh tyres, then roughly how many track positions that is worth.
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F1 Pit Stop Impact Calculator
Estimate whether a pit stop pays off: the pit-lane time lost versus the lap-time gained on fresh tyres over the remaining laps.
net time = pit lane loss − (fresh-tyre gain per lap × laps remaining)
Frequently asked questions
Why does fresh rubber gain time?
Because worn tyres lose grip and slow the car each lap. New tyres are faster, and that per-lap gain accumulates over a stint, which can outweigh the one-off pit loss.
How is the time turned into positions?
By dividing the net time by the average gap between cars. Close-packed fields turn small time swings into position changes; spread-out races need bigger gains to move up.
Is this how real strategists work?
The core trade-off is exactly this, but real teams also model traffic, safety cars, tyre warm-up and rivals' plans. This captures the central arithmetic.
What is an undercut?
Pitting earlier than a rival so your fresh tyres gain time while they are still on old ones, jumping them when they finally stop. This calculator shows the time logic behind it.